Piano.



PATENTED JAN. 15, 1907.

P. DUFFY.

PIANO.

- APPLICATION FILED AUG. 17. 1904.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

m5 mmms PEYERS cm, WASHINGTON. p. c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER DUFFY, OF NEW PIA N O- YORK, N. Y.

N 0. 841,238. Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 17, 1904. Serial No. 221,075.

Patented Jan. 15, 1907.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PETER DUFFY, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pianos, of which the tallic skeleton, which is always present as a following is a specification. source of lightness, coupled with rigidity, in My invention relates to pianoforte conthe structure, I prefer to denominate my struction, and has for its object in any type ame by. analogy drawn from other arts a of pianofortesuch, for instance, as grand, reinforced frame. It should be observed, square, or upright-the production of a owever, that this term is more or less coname or string-tension-sustaining member of a composite order designed and adapted to combine all the desirable qualities of a metal frame and a wooden frame. garded as a wooden frame, which, in effect, it lPiano-frames, generally speaking, were for many-years commonly made of wood, and these, while objectionable on account of the great weight of material necessarily employed to seciu'e the requisite rigidity and strength, lent certain attractive qualities of tone to the instrument. There was and is nevertheless an objection to the use ofwooden frames in addition to their weight above mentioned because of their sensitiveness to atmospheric conditions and changes. view to obviating or eliminating the wood with which it is by preference, it is so of my invention the rame is reenforced by the mequality heretofore derivable only from an all-wood frame. 'hat constitutes my invention will be hereinafter specified in detail and succinctly set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying distinct advantages in the tonal, other qualities of the instrument have been gained through the judicious employment of the metallic construction referred to, yet it is equally true that certain qualities, particularly of tone belonging to the wooden frame, have been lost. These qualities being pre- 1 1s a view of the back of one of my pianos ferred by many, it is the object of my present complete, a portion being broken away to invention, as above suggested, to produce an 'llustrate structural features thereof. instrument through the construction of whose frame they may be preserved along of with other qualities peculiar to metal-frame Fig. is a top plan construction. Fi IV Fi My invention in its broader aspect consists VI VI of Fig. III looking toward the nearer inametal-and-wood construction which shall end of the instrument and with the case impart to the instrument those desirable omitted, as in Figs. IV tonal and other qualities above referred to. front elevation of the subject-matter of Fig.

The frame in the preferred form of em- III with the case, soundingboard, and bodiment of my invention, being constructed strings omitted. Fig. VIII is a side elevathroughout of a skeleton of metal, preferably tion of a modified form of steel, is in whole or in part insheathed in of Wood. The construction might therefore be called a sheathed construction; but inasmuch as the metallic skeleton need not be enden members which envelop it, the sounding board being omitted. Fig. II is a similar view of the assembled back-sheathing member ready to be applied to the frame shown in Fig. I. Fig.

to Fig. vin, showing afurthermodification of the metal frame- Fig. 9 5

IIO

Referring to the numerals on the drawings, 1 and particularly at the outset to Fig. I 1 thereof, 1 and 3 indicate, respectively, the top and bottom members, and 2 and 4 the side members of a preferred form of metalreinforcing frame. The several members specified are made, preferably, of channeled l or I-beam steel, mitered or otherwise joine at the several corners of the frame, where they are secured together by corner-plates 5-and a suitable number of rivets 6. Bracepieces 9 and 10 preferably extend between the side pieces 2 and 4:, respectively, and the top piece 1. They are secured, respectively, to the side pieces, as by cheek-plates 11 and rivets 12, and are both secured to the top piece 1, as by cheek-plates 13 and rivets 14..

15 indicates a channeled cross-brace extending from one side of the frame to the other and incorporated with it, as by rivets 16 or the like, wh'ch. secure it to the members 2 and 4 and 9 and 10, respectively.

The frame above described, constituting, as specified, a preferred form of metallic frame for the purpose in view, but which is susceptible of wide variation as to details, represents the metallic reinforcing frame ready for the application to it of the wooden members, which, according to my invention, insheathe' and preferably completely envelop it. The wooden members must be adapted to fit the frame for which they are intended, and they will be accordingly described with consideration of the frame shown in Fig. I, and with particular reference to that figure, special reference to other figures where it occurs being duly indicated. First, I fit the outer channels of the members 1 to 1, inclusive,with woodenfillet-pieces 18, so as to close that channel in the metal frame on all sides. Two portions of the fillet-pieces are shown in Fig. I, and two complete fillet-pieces are shown in Figs. IV and V, respectively. The fillet-pieces 18are secured by screws 19, (see Fig. VI,) disposed at frequent intervals and entering the fillet-pieces through the web of the I beams 1 to 4, inclusive, from the inside of which they are introduced, as shown in Fig. VI. I next apply the sheathing-piece 20 to the channeled brace 15, the sheathingpiece 21. to the bottom I-beam 3, and the side-sheathing pieces 22 and. 23 (compare Figs. I and VII) to the I-beams 2 and4, respectively. The sheathing-piece 20, being cut or shaped tofit the channeled brace 15, is secured thereto, as by a series of. screws 25, introduced from the inside of the said bracepiece, as illustrated in Fig. VI. The remaining sheathing-pieces 21 to 23 inclusive, are secured to the I-beams, to which they are applied,.preferably, as by screws 26, introduced at frequent intervals through a flange of the respective I-beams, as shown, for example, in Fig. VI. Recesses 27 must be provided in the several fillets 18 for the f After the pieces accommodation of the screws 26. Such recesses are shown, for example, in Fig. IV.

It should be observed that the sheathingpieces 20 and 21, respectively, have their front surfaces in the same plane, as clearly shown in Figs. IV and VI, and are of greater thickness than the sheathing-pieces 22 and This construction is necessary in order to provide for the accommodation of a sounding-board 28 and its ribs board being directly secured to the members 20 and 21, as will clearly appear upon comparison of Figs. IV, V, and VI.

After the sheathing-pieces 20 and 21 are secured in place the sheathingpieces 22 and 23 are fitted and glued into position between the sheathingpieces 20 and 21, as shown in Fig. VII, each of the pieces 22 and 23 being rovided with a tongue 30 for engagement with the pieces 20 and 21 respectively, as is shown in Fig. VII in comparison with Fig. I

22 and 23 are fitted and g by the introduction, through one flange of their respective I-beams, of screws 26, for whose accommodation the recesses 27 in the fillets 18 are, as previously specified, provided. To the braces 9 and 10 are applied sheathing-pieces 31 and 32, respectively, each being provide at each end with a tongue 33, (see Fig.VII,) which makes engagement with the sheathing-pieces 20, 22, and 23, respectively, as shown in Fig. VII. After being fitted and glued to the braces the sheathing-pieces 31 and 32 are further secured, as by screws 35, introducedthrough the flange of the I-beams 9 and 10,.respectively, as illustrated in- Fig. VI of the drawings.

The inner faces of the sheathing-pieces 20 to 23, inclusive, as well as 31 and 32,,are preferably provided, as shown in Figs. I and VI of the drawings, with a rabbet accommodate a correspondingly rabbeted sheathing-piece, and. they are by the aid of the two overlapping rabbets fitted and securely glued together.

Referring to Fig. I, the rabbeted member, which is connected with the sheathing-piece 21, is indicated by the numeral 37 and extends between the members 2 and 4, respectively, which members are respectively accommodated with a like sheathingpiece, (indicated by the numeral 38,) of which there are two, one being shown in Fig. I The sheathing-piece 38 is broken for the accom modation of the sheathing of the brace 9 or 10, as the casemay be, each of which are provided upon opposite sides with sheathingpieces 39 and 40, as shown in Fig. I of the drawings. The sheathing-pieces 39 and 10 are both rabbeted, as previously specified, those applied to the brace 10 being substantially the same as those shown in Fig. I as applied to the brace 9. The sheathing-pieces 39 and 10 are lued they are also secured 29, the sounding.

36, adapted to preferably united to the sheathing-piece 38, where it meets them upon opposite sides of the race in a snugly-fitting mitered joint.

The sheathing-piece which is applied below the brace to the rabbeted sheathingpiece -as shown in Figs. I and VI, for example-is indicated by the reference numeral The member 41 extends from side to the metal frame, but with breaks he accommodation of the braces 9 and 10, where it is joined with the sheathingpieces 39 and 30, respectively, those braces in suitable mitered joints, like the mitered joints previously specified.

The application of a wrest-plank 45 compietes the sheathing of the front part of the metal frame. The wrest-plank is applied directly above the sheathing-piece 20 and is se cured to the metal frame, as by aseries of screws 46,1ntroduced through the web of the I-beam and the I-beams 2 and 4, respectively, where recesses 47 in the fillets 18 are provided for their accommodation. Disposition of the screws 46 and their recesses 47 will appear upon comparison of Figs. IV, and VI of the drawings.

Hitherto I have specified the complete sheathing of the metal frame, with the exception of the back -sheathing member. (Shown in Fig. II.) In ssembling the backsheathing member theseveral members which compose it, corresponding to the members 20, 21 23, 31, and 32, are preferably not apby one to the severai members which they respectively cover, but are assembled in a unitary structure, as shown in Fig. II, (designated by the reference-numeral 48.)

he back-sheathing member 48 is coextento engage and fit the rabbet 36, previously described, and which along the edges upon which the rabbet 49 is provided presents itself for engagement therewith. When the back-sheathing member 48, of suitable dimensions,is fitted, it is applied and glued to the metal frame and through the rabbet 36 to the several sheathing-pie'ces presented to it, .thus completing the envelopment of the metal frame in wood. Along the outside of the wood envelop the uncovered edges of the flanges of the I-beams are presented-as shown, for example, in Figs. IV and V; but these in the completed instrument are perfectly covered by the wood of the case 50, as shown in Fig. V.

t may be observed in this connection that each of the corner-plates 5 is covered by a wooden corner-block 51, assembled with the sheathing and fitted to the respective cornerplates 5.

In the assembling of the wooden and metallic members of my frame, respectively, the Wood is worked. to accommodate the projections on the metal frame snugly, so that the wood and mteal may be combined into a solid, compact, unitary structure, This fitting of the metal and the wooden members machinery known in the woodworking art, by which the desired effect may be accurately and economically arrived at.

What I claim is- 1. A pianoforte-frame consisting of a composite structure comprising a complete external covering of wood, and an interior reinforcement of metal insheathed within the wood.

2. The combination in a pianoforte-frame, of a skeleton of metal with a sheathing throughout of wood incorporated together into a unitary structure.

out, of a complete sheathing of wood, part of which is set in the channel of the skeleton.

In a pianoforte-frame, the combination with a skeleton of metal adapted to afford comparative lightness and rigidity of struc ture, of sheathing-pieces of wood applied to and incorporated with the skeleton and so far enve oping the same as to impart substan tially to the instrument in which it is em bodied the tonal quality of an all-wood frame.

have hereunto In testimony whereof I signed my name in the presence of two sub- PETER DUFFY. lVitnesses scribing witnesses.

L. H; HARBONUT, WM. B. BROWNELL. 

